The Judd Building was designed in 1898 by Oliver G. Traphagen for Hawai‘i Supreme Court Chief Justice Albert F. Judd, who inherited the property upon his father's death. Formerly, a two-story wooden building had occupied the space. George R. Carter, manager of the Hawaiian Trust & Investment Co., suggested that Chief Justice Judd should construct a building to provide rental office space to companies.

Initially, the Judd Building was planned for two stories, but the growing city needed more office space, so an additional two stories were included in construction. The first floor has the original a bluestone facade, and the other three floors feature Roman brick.

The building was completed in 1899 and served as one of the first commercial buildings to offer rental office space. The first floor had five offices, and the upper floors had ten offices. The original design plans included restrooms on every floor and featured Hawaii’s first passenger elevator.

In the 1920s, a fifth floor was added in a different style. In 1978, the building was renovated and new tinted windows were installed on the fifth floor.

The building was sold to various companies including the Bank of Hawaii in 1910, the Inter-Island Steamship Navigation Company in 1927, and First Federal Savings & Loan in 1950. Bank of Hawaii bought the building again in 1998 and sold it the next year to Alexander and Baldwin.